Jet Nieto Embracing the Ateneo Way: A UAAP Champion Turned Doctor

Filipinos have this belief that "the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree". 

And also, we have this long-standing tradition that parents are the ones who mold their children into the profession they want them to have.

Believe it or not, Jet Nieto falls in both instances. 

To the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) community, Jet Nieto is no longer a stranger to Philippine basketball- at least at the collegiate level. He is the father of Matt and Mike Nieto- the twins who were key players to the three-peat run of the Ateneo Blue Eagles highlighted by a 16-0 season sweep last year. But more than just being a proud father of two UAAP champions, Jet Nieto was first and foremost a former UAAP athlete too.

To begin with, Jet Nieto himself was too, a former Blue Eagle who back-to-back championships from 1987 to 1988 with the latter being against the De La Salle Green Archers. Prior to that, Jett Nieto was a member of the Blue Eaglet team that won multiple championships in the juniors' division which included the 1984 championship that the Blue Eaglets won via a 12-0 sweep of the tournament that was then held in Baguio. And according to pundits, that Blue Eaglets side was the strongest Blue Eaglets team that was ever formed as it had Nieto, Joseph Canlas, Jun Reyes, Alex Araneta, and Jayvee Gayoso. In fact, many believed that it was the strongest high school basketball team that was ever assembled in the history of Philippine basketball. 

Even though his wife, Dra. Girlie Nieto joked back then that she is only her husband's second love as the game of basketball is Jet's first, Jet Nieto could have pursued a decorated career in basketball after college, perhaps in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) but didn't do so. Why?

For one, Jet Nieto, hailing from a family of doctors, is a perfect example of an obedient son who respected tradition and went on to become what his parents wanted him to become: a doctor. He is, in fact, one of the most sought-after orthopedic surgeons not just in Metro Manila but in nearby provinces. For another, he seems happy in embracing what he learned in Ateneo: "the men for others" mentality. 

On the brighter side, Dr. Jet Nieto's being an obedient son as well as a true Atenean was rewarded as God gave the Nieto father two sons who went on outdoing what he achieved in the Blue Eagles program: winning a three-peat. In fact, Mike and Matt Nieto made it known that one of the many reasons why they wanted to finish their UAAP careers with a championship was the fact that their father didn't win a three-peat during his collegiate career. He could have turned pro after college but he stayed obedient to his parents and became a doctor. 

In life, nobody can really decide what he will become after college. One time, you're a basketball star. The next time, you're something else. In the end, it always boils down to making a choice. For the two-time UAAP champion in Dr. Jet Nieto, he chose to become a doctor instead of pursuing a professional career in basketball. At the end of the day, it's about what makes us happy and for Jet Nieto, being a doctor, a father, and most importantly, a man for others, are the choices he made that is making him happy.

In short words, it's about having the balls to make a choice. 

Photo is from ABS CBN News